DEL.ICIO.USFeral cats run rampant on Jekyll Island
Associated Press
Monday, October 13, 2008
JEKYLL ISLAND — John Allison has spent thousands of dollars out of his own pocket to correct a wild animal problem on Jekyll Island.
He insists he doesn’t mind doing it, but he’d like some help.
Bobby Haven/AP
Feral cats eat at the Jekyll Island golf course maintenance building. There are approximately 30 cats at this site, says John Allison, a Jekyll Island resident who feeds the cats there and at five other locations on the island.
Allison, founder of Suzie’s Friends, a no-kill animal shelter in Waycross, and a Jekyll Island resident, has shelled out some $50,000 of his own money the past two years to trap and spay or neuter the hoards of feral cats running rampant on the state-owned island.
Near daily, a stray cat or two will tramp by Allison’s house. Wanting to be a good citizen, he takes care of the cat, by feeding it, then following television celebrity Bob Barker’s famed advice: Have your pet spayed or neutered.
“Feral cats are a problem everywhere, and especially here where no one else is dealing with it,” said Allison.
Spending his own money to help curb the presence of feral cats in the Golden Isles isn’t a problem for Allison. Profits from his business, which manufactures cleaning and power washing supplies, go directly to his no-kill shelter and his humane animal efforts.
No, it’s not the money that has Allison up in arms. It’s the lack of response from officials in charge that has him irked, he said.
“This is a responsibility that lays squarely on the shoulders of the people in charge,” Allison said. “This is not my problem and it’s not your problem.”
The reason the cats are running rampant on the island is due to lack of response from prior officials and lack of education about proper pet care for citizens, Allison surmises. Had leaders and authorities taken steps years ago, when the issue became prominent, it would not be a concern now.
“The facts are staggering. In a nine-year period, one unspayed female cat can be responsible for 11 million cats, counting her off-spring and their off-spring. And that is only if two cats from each litter survive,” Allison said. “If this issue had been dealt with properly years ago, and not ignored, then we wouldn’t be in this dire situation now.”
As well, part-time Jekyll residents are adding to the issue. These, Allison said, are people who vacation there for weeks at a time, bring their cats along and then abandon them once the vacation is complete.
But, Allison said, he is not looking to point fingers or place blame. Instead, he wants to remedy the problem. Allison has launched a proposal to the Jekyll Island Authority for a solution to the feral cats issue. He wants to create a no-kill feral cat shelter on the island, which would also serve as an educational resource for the community, as well as a place to harbor feral felines.
Funding for the center would come directly from him, he said. All he is asking for is permission, the land and the building.
“This is a great opportunity for the (Jekyll Island) authority. How often does someone come along who is willing to pay $100,000 for a community resource, not looking for anything in return? It would be a chance to take a very negative situation and turn it into something positive and rewarding. They would be crazy not to jump at this opportunity.”
After he developed his master plan a few months ago, Allison submitted it to the authority for feedback last week. He has not heard anything back, though, he said.
Eric Garvey, spokesman for the authority, said he has seen Allison’s proposal and understands the hard work Allison is undertaking to maintain a humane way of dealing with these wild creatures.
Because feral cats do not cause any real damage to the island and are not public safety concerns, the authority has not made sorting through the issue a top priority, but it is willing to consider new ideas for dealing with it, Garvey said.
“We would like to see a more detailed proposal from him, to see how this would work. It sounds like a reasonable and humane approach,” Garvey said. “I think the work that John is doing is great and we support his efforts.”
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Information from: The Brunswick News, http://www.thebrunswicknews.com
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